


Whatever It Takes

by sleepylilgeeky



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame, Big Brother Peter, Brother/Sister Relationship, Cheese Burgers, Crying, Endgame, Gen, Little Sister Morgan, Mentions of Death, Mourning, New Meetings, Someone give Peter a hug, Spoilers, Tony’s Funeral, because we need that positivity in our lives, endgame spoilers, first encounters, like seriously, please
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-02-09 19:14:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18644380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepylilgeeky/pseuds/sleepylilgeeky
Summary: (((MAJOR ENDGAME SPOILERS)))(((Seriously. Major Spoilers Here.)))---It's one of the worst days, Tony Stark’s Funeral, and every one is taking it hard. Most specifically, Peter Parker. Peter realizes everything he missed while under Thanos’s doing. The funeral brings Peter to finally meet three people who will mean most to him: Harley Keener, Morgan Stark, and Pepper Potts.





	Whatever It Takes

**Author's Note:**

> I went and saw Endgame on the 26th at 12 in the morning and began writing this the next day at school. Since then, it is now Monday, the 29th, and I went and saw Endgame again on Saturday and I'm going to see it again sometime this week. It was beautifully heartbreaking but such a powerful end. Thank you MCU.

The flowers drifted along the river bank slowly. The ARC reactor that engraved the words ‘Proof that Tony Stark has a heart’ gleamed in the sunlight as it was wading on the water with the soft breeze blowing it further away from the crowd that stood near the small deck.

Nobody had said a word since the priest spoke, talking about the life of a man he didn’t even know to the people who knew him too well. In that time was when Clint squeezed every one of his kid’s shoulders and May Parker intertwined her fingers with her nephews own.

Time didn’t feel real.

It didn’t even feel right.

Pepper stood closest to the river bank, tear streaks leaving a glistening shine to her face as she sniffled back as many tears as she could. Her throat was full. She was trying to stay as strong as one could. She had her arm wrapped around Morgan while Morgan cried into her arm.

Tony wouldn’t be happy to know how everyone reacted to his funeral.

Morgan wiped her tears with the back of her hand as she scooted closer to Pepper, looking out at the bed of flowers floating further away. She didn’t fully understand what was going on, but she knew it was sad. Moments before in the living room her mother had played the holographic video her dad had left her in case he didn’t return.

And he didn’t.

Pepper had cried so hard that night after returning from the battle. Having to face her five year old daughter and explain to her that her father wasn’t coming home. Morgan cried a lot too.

She missed her Daddy.

But Pepper told her he did it to save everyone.

Said that he was a hero.

Everyone was sad that such a legend as Tony Stark was no longer around. They were full of so much gratitude for the man. Those like Bruce and Thor that had known him for years to Carol Danvers who just got introduced respected him and missed him. Rhodey mourned his best friend harshly, feeling his other half no longer being there.

Then there was Peter Parker.

Moments after Tony Stark had taken his last breath up against the stump, Pepper kissed his lips one last time as everyone noticed the gleam from his eyes completely disappear. The ARC was no longer shining the bright blue. Pepper doubled over crying.

_“Mr. Stark. Please don’t do this.” Peter said, dropping own to his knees in front of his mentor. “We won. Just like you said we would.” He nudged Tony’s lifeless body and he felt the tears begin to form. “Tony,” He uttered, practically whispering as tears dropped from his eyes. “I don’t want you to go Tony. Please come back.” He cried, “PLEASE COME BACK!”_

He was trapped in a void for five years. Reunited with his mentor. Got the hug he’d been waiting to get for so long. Helped defeat Thanos. He hoped to celebrate with his beloved mentor he missed for so long but almost as if Thanos had snapped once more and took Tony’s life with it. He was gone.

When he returned back to his Aunt May and they had calmed down from the feeling of being back to normal once again. May had to calm Peter down at three in the morning as he screamed through his tears about how bad everything hurts when he remembers the late Tony Stark.

Peter stood a short distance back from Pepper while his eyes followed along the flowers that drifted further and further away. He sniffled his nose and closed his eyes, turning his head down and letting tears drop to the grass. He sucked in a stifled breath, feeling the urge to cry harder in the back of his throat. He licked his lips and looked up to the sky, taking a deep breath before more tears spilled.

May squeezed Peter’s hand softly to get his attention to begin to part ways after Pepper had turned around, holding hands with Morgan as they walked back towards the house. Rhodey following suit along with Steve, Bruce, Thor, and Hulk.

Peter was utterly heart broken.

There was no denying.

He has went through more heartbreak than any average boy like him should ever have. First his parents when he was still too young to realize it, then his Uncle Ben at the age of 14 and now. Now it was his mentor and the closest thing to a father figure he had been able to get in years.

Aunt May let a few tears go. She wasn’t crying for Tony Stark as she had only met with him every other time when it came to Peter. She respected him greatly and had immense gratitude for the man who has helped her nephew. She cried for the way Peter felt. The hurt all over his face struck her like a needle. He has dealt with so much.

“Are you okay?” May asked softly to Peter, resting her chin on his shoulder.

Peter stifled his breath, “I’ll say that I am.”

“That’s not what I asked baby.”

Peter took stretched his arms out and took a deep breath. He’d been standing as still as he could for quite a while. His voice cracked, “No.”

Peter’s entire body shook with sobs in mourning of his late mentor. Aunt May ran her hand up and down his back as he turned into her, crying into her neck. His breath stifled as he let out a sad cry.

He began to cough from his crucial tears, “I-I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He apologized, pulling back and sniffling, wiping the tear tracks of his face. “Mr. Stark wouldn’t want me to be like this.”

“It’s okay to cry baby.” She responded and gave him a small smile, looking at his watery brown eyes and wiping away the tear that was making its way down Peter’s cheek. He coughed a few more times until May patted his back, “I’ll go get you a drink okay?”

Peter nodded as she walked away, squeezing his shoulder once more. He ran his hands through his hair as he took a deep breath and exhaled harshly, closing his eyes behind his hands.

“Peter?” He heard from behind him. “Peter Parker?”

He turned around and was met with the guy he had seen earlier arrive to Tony’s. He looked to be around the same age as Peter or a little bit older. “Yes?”

“The name’s Harley. Harley Keener.” Harley introduced, walking closer and sticking his right arm out. Peter took it hesitantly and shook it before placing his hands back into his suit pockets. “I knew Tony too.”

Peter nodded slowly, “Seems like everyone did.”

“I helped him out when I was younger. He had crashed in near me when I was about eleven or so back in Tennessee. We kept in touch after what happened in 2012. I helped him a bit and he provided me with some high-tech equipment in return.”

“Mr. Stark helped me out too.” Peter responded, “Quite a bit actually.”

“Yeah,” Harley said with a smile. “I’ve seen your videos on YouTube. Being Spider-Man must be intense, but with the help of that Stark suit, it’s got to help right?” Peter looked a bit taken back since this kid he just met knew he was Spider-Man. “Don’t freak out. Tony told me all about you and you being Spider-Man. Don’t worry, secret is safe with me in Tennessee.”

Peter actually let out a breathy small laugh, “Yeah. It’s saved me more than anything alright.”

They stood in quiet for a few moments. “He loved you, y’know?”

“He told me once.” Peter responded, “It was before the decimation, a few weeks before actually. Yet, he never gave me a hug until… that moment when I returned.” Peter thought hard on the memory of Tony pulling him into a big hug. “I thought everything was going to be okay.”

“Thanos was pulled a real dick move on us, didn’t he?”

“You were gone too?” Peter asked, surprised. Meeting another person who was a victim to Thanos’s decimation still surprised him.

Harley nodded, “Yeah. I can’t remember much. Me and my little sister were watching TV, she told me at least, and then I was gone. She’s actually older than me now. I was sixteen when it happened, now five years later, I’m still sixteen.”

The time jump still hasn’t caught up with Peter but it’ll take some adjustment as time continues on.

“He saved us.” Peter said with a nod of his head. “He- He did this for us.”

“It’s such a Tony Stark thing to do.”

Peter smiled, looking out along the water, “Yeah, it really was.”

“Well it was nice finally getting to meet you Peter,” Harley announced after a few moments of silence. “I’m going to head inside and talk to James before I head back to the airport. We should keep in touch?” He reached out for another handshake.

“Yeah. Totally.” Peter responded as he shook Harley’s hand. “Nice meeting you too.”

Aunt May came back out with a bottle of water and handed it over to Peter, “Who was that young man?”

“Harley Keener. He helped Mr. Stark out too.”

“Looks like a nice kid.”

“Yeah.”

Sounds of twigs being crunched beneath feet caused Peter to jump from his mid stare at the ground while he drank some of the water. He turned his focus to where the sound was coming from and saw the little black dress from none other than Morgan Stark.

She was walking by herself, on her tip-toes as she had her arms crossed in front of her, something in one of her hands.

“Excuse me May.” Peter says, looking past at the direction that Morgan was going. “I need to go meet someone.”

Morgan was walking towards the dock that was near the set off of Tony’s memorial flowers. She stopped for a moment, wondering if she should keep walking. She looked back and didn’t see her mother or Happy looking for her so she placed her foot upon the wooden deck and hoisted herself up a little bit more.

In her hands she held a cheese burger.

She walked along the deck slowly, the sounds of the water splashed against it caused her to jump a little. But she got to the end and sat down, crossing her legs over one another as she started to look for any sign of the flowers her mother had let go.

Peter quietly walked along the deck, not making any sound due to the enhancement the spider bite gave him. He watched as the wind blew Morgan’s hair so lightly. He hadn’t even gotten a really good look at her face yet because when they were showing Morgan the message Tony left her, the sight of Tony caused Peter to run back outside.

Morgan poked the wrapper that the cheese burger was in with her tiny finger until a voice erupted from behind her, startling her as she clutched onto the burger.

“Mind if I join you?”

Morgan looked up and met the gaze of an older boy that looked familiar. She scanned his face for a few seconds before realizing that it was the boy that was in the photo with her Daddy that was in the kitchen.

“Okay.” Morgan responded.

Peter inched closer and lowered himself down, throwing his legs over the edge of the dock and placing his hands on the wooden planks below him. He felt the lump forming in his throat again as he caught that sight of Morgan, seeing the familiar parts in her face that she shared with Tony.

“My name is Morgan.” Morgan introduced herself, looking at Peter but then back at the water.

Peter smiled, “Hello Morgan,” He responded, reaching his hand out, hoping she’d understand the handshake he was offering, “My name is Peter Parker.”

“You’re the boy in Daddy’s photo in the kitchen.”

“Yeah I am.”

Morgan looked out along the riverbank, trying to see her father’s memorial flower but it had made it quite a distance it was nearing the size of an ant.

“He talked about you.” She tells Peter, “Mommy says he really missed you.”

“I missed him.”

“Mommy keeps crying and I don’t like it.”

Peter swallowed hard and licked his lips, “It’s a really sad time for her. It’s what we call mourning.”

Peter didn’t exactly know what to say to Morgan when it comes to death since he doesn’t know how Pepper had brought in Tony’s death to the five year old. Obviously she knows that he’s gone but he’s quite clueless on how death works in the mind of a child.

“He said he was gonna help and that he was gonna be fine.” Morgan told Peter, “Why did he lie? Daddy told me never to lie.”

“Well, sometimes grown ups say things even if they don’t know what’s going to play out. Mr. Stark-, I mean, your father did help. Things just didn’t go the way it should have went in his eyes. But he was a smart man and knew what had to be done.”

“Did Daddy save you?”

Morgan was looking up at Peter with her deep brown eyes, the same eyes she shared with Tony Stark. Her eyes gleamed in the evening sun, just as Tony’s did when he got excited over his new inventions.

Peter felt the lump in his throat become heavier, “Yeah.” He said quickly, “He- he did.

Morgan picked up the wrapped cheese burger and showed Peter, “I brought Daddy a cheese burger.” She pulled back the wrapper, “Happy said Daddy loves cheese burgers.”

They sat for a few minutes in silence. Birds were chirping as they swooped down and pecked at the ground. Leaves rustled along the darkening ground as the sun began to slowly set. Small sniffles could be heard as Peter looked down at Morgan and saw her eyes filled with threatening tears.

“I want my Daddy.”

Just like that, she dropped her head down and let the tears spill. She moved the cheese burger to the other side of her as her tiny body shook with her cries. Her hands were brought up to her eyes as she cried for her late father.

Peter felt a urge of panic run through his body as he questioned what to do. The sound of Morgan crying for Tony caused tears to fill his eyes as he leaned over, pulled Morgan close to him with his arm. She turned and crawled up into his lap and cried into his neck.

“I want him back too kid,” Peter tells her, sniffing back his tears as he blinked and let one roll down his cheek. “We all do.”

Morgan continued to cry to the point her body was shaking from coughing through her tears. She wanted her Daddy to be back with her and Mommy while they played Connect Four in the living room and watched old movies together.

Peter blinked out his tears as he stroked Morgan’s hair while she cried, “Hey. Hey. Listen here..: He whispered, making Morgan pull back and look at him. Her lip pouted and nose and cheeks bright red and puffy. “Your Daddy was the bravest man in the world. He saved us all. He saved the whole universe. He saved you.” Tears spilled carelessly, “I know it hurts and I know it’s sad but your Daddy was so smart that he knew he had to do this to save all of us. He’s a hero.”

“A hero?” Morgan sniffled.

“A hero.” Peter assured.

Peter wiped the tears from her face and smiled. She leaned down and gave him a hug before snuggling into his embrace, resting her head against his shoulder. Peter noticed as she started to match her breathing pace to his.

“Can I call you Petey?” Morgan asked.

Peter softly chuckled at the nickname, “You can call me whatever you want to kid.”

Morgan giggled softly before sitting up and wiping her eyes once more with the back of her hands before leaning over and grabbing the cheese burger. Peter held on to her dress to make sure she didn’t fall.

She unwrapped the burger fully and tore it in half as well as she could with her tiny hands.

“You and Daddy were friends. He’d want you give him a burger.” She said with such Stark expression on her face. She threw the half of her burger as far as she could into the water as she looked at Peter with those gleaming eyes, “For my Daddy?”

Peter smiled at the little girl and took a deep breath as he threw the rest of the burger into the water, “To the greatest man I’ve gotten to know.”

Morgan snuggled back into Peter’s body as they both sat there, watching the burgers sink in the water. The flowers were no longer visible in the water but the sky was painted beautifully in a reddish gold hue almost as if Tony was painting it himself for his friends and family to see.

“Morgan!” Pepper called from the stairs, looking around at the nearing dark ground for her daughter. She had been talking inside and got side tracked for the first time in a while and misplaced the location of her child. “Morgan!”

“I’m down here Mommy.” Morgan called back, still sitting in Peter’s lap, running her hands over his as she pulled his fingers apart for fun.

Pepper quickly made her way to the deck and walked along it. Morgan got out of Peter’s lap and stood up, stretching as she turned to face her mother. Pepper’s face was still in the mixture of scared but relieved now that she saw her child.

“Morgan, you know you’re not allowed on the deck without me knowing.”

Morgan nodded and looked down at her feet, “I know.”

Peter decided to stand up too, facing Pepper. He clasped his hands together and held them down at his hips, “I’m sorry Mrs. Potts- I mean, Mrs. Stark. I didn’t-,”

“I wanted to give Daddy a cheese burger since Happy got me some. Petey gave him one too, since Daddy loved him too.”

Morgan was now leaning into Pepper as Pepper stroked her hair. Pepper made eye contact with Peter and smiled, tears lining her eyes. “Don’t apologize. It’s okay. I’m just so scared when I don’t know where she is. Especially if she’s near water.”

Peter nodded, “I understand.”

Pepper crouched down to Morgan’s height, “How about you go inside and go see what Happy brought you.” Morgan nodded and ran off, waving by to Peter as she went inside the house.

She walked closer to Peter, who was now facing back towards the water. “How are you holding up kid?”

“It hurts. A lot. It’s almost like reliving how I felt when my Uncle Ben died.” Peter responded, “I miss him. It’s so unfair he had to go.”

“I know it is.” Pepper said, “He was so full of life being retired but there were so many nights he would wake me up from his nightmares and I’d find him downstairs in the kitchen with a drink and the picture of you two.”

“I miss him Mrs. Stark.”

“Call me Pepper.”

“I’m so sorry you’re having to deal with all this Mrs.-, Pepper. I would do anything to trade places with him if I could.”

Pepper looked taken back, “Don’t ever say that Peter.”

“I would.” Peter stated, “He deserves to be here more than me. He has more than I do.”

“I’ve known Tony for a long time and I know that it something he would never want someone to take his place in. I used to tell him I wasn’t going to be there when he killed himself but he’s my Tony. He did what he felt was necessary and that man, in all the years I’ve known him, has never done anything that he thought was wrong.”

Peter swallowed hard as his tears started to line his eyelids, “But your daughter. She’s going to-,”

“Grow up without a father. I know.” Pepper interrupted.

“She doesn’t need to. I had to deal with it and it was absolute shit! Not knowing why my parents didn’t come home, since I was near her age to, it affected me so bad! My Aunt May and Uncle Ben had to tell me that they weren’t ever coming home and I thought it was because of me!” Peter cried, throwing his arms up in frustration. “I don’t even remember my parents that much! Now Morgan is going to be just like me!”

“Morgan has more people in her life that were a big part of Tony’s life that I’m sure she has a lifetime of stories to hear about him. She has Rhodey, and Sam, and Bruce… She has you! One of the people that Tony actually considered a son!”

Peter burst into tears, “I’m so sorry Pepper!”

Pepper pulled Tony close to her as she let her tears escape down the path of her cheeks. He sobbed into her chest, clutching her dress. The two people that Tony cared about most holding each other through the loss of the man.

“It’s okay Peter. It’s what had to happen.”

Pepper gave Peter a small squeeze as he pulled back. Both of them were tearstained and nose red from the cries. Pepper gave him a small smile as she squeezed his shoulder before pulling him back into her embrace.

“I miss him so much.”

“I do too Peter. I do too.”

Peter released from her hold after a few seconds, trying to get rid of his tears with the back of his hand. He coughed and sniffled before taking a deep breath. He looked back up at the porch and saw Happy standing up there, holding Morgan in his arms, a little figure of Iron Man clutched in her hands.

“I’d like to get to know Morgan some more.” Peter spoke, “If… If that’s okay with you?”

Pepper was truly smiling. She laughed, “Of course it is Peter. You are a part of this family. You don’t ever have to ask.”

Peter smiled, looking back at Morgan. “She looks so much like Tony.”

“God, I know.” Pepper responded, “She doesn’t realize how lucky she is.”

“She really doesn’t.”

Pepper locked her arm through Peter’s, “Come on. It’s getting chilly out here. Let’s get inside before your aunt thinks you’ve disappeared.”

They walked back together and entered the warm home. The only people still there were Carol, Steve, Rhodey, Sam, Bruce, Thor, and May Parker. Everyone else had started to head back to their locations before Pepper had walked outside to find Morgan.

May was making conversation with Bruce until she heard the door open. She dismissed herself from Bruce and walked over to where Pepper and Peter were now standing. She gave a smile to Pepper and squeezed her hands.

“Peter, my boy,” May said, taking one of his hands. “I was worried you were going to catch a cold out there.”

Pepper smiled, “He was out there talking to me. I was just telling him that he is welcome to come here anytime and see me and Morgan. Tony would always refer to Peter as Morgan’s older brother that she would meet soon.”

“That’s so lovely!” May exclaimed.

“I’m going to put Morgan in bed, but I have one last thing to tell you.”

Peter raised an eyebrow, “What is it?”

“The lab. Tony’s lab.” Pepper responded, “It’s yours. Any time you want to come and mess with it. It is yours. He told me you were into inventing as much as he was. That’s why he said it was going to be yours.”

“Really?” Peter asked, “That’s… that’s amazing.”

“I told Peter that he’s welcome here and so are you. It would be nice to get to know you.” Pepper said to May. “Truly. Your nephew meant so much to my Tony. He’s family, which makes you family.”

“Thank you Pepper.” May said.

Peter and May stayed for a few more minutes, talking to the people left. They said their goodbyes as they were going to have to start heading back to Queens before it got too late. Peter gave Pepper one last hug and left his condolences before he and May went and got in her car.

While Aunt May drove, she held Peter’s hand as he rested his head against the window. Every so often she’d squeeze his hand, just to see his body react after not being able to see him for five long years.

Peter reminisced all the memories he had with Tony.

It was going to be a long hard road to walk not being able to see Tony anymore but he told himself he’s going to make sure Tony’s memory lives on.

Whatever it takes.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kudos are much appreciated. I mean, for Morgan Stark at least? I love you all 3,000!


End file.
